Mr. President,

Let me congratulate you, on behalf of the delegation of Israel, on your election as President of the Conference on facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. I am confident that under your leadership this conference will be brought to a successful conclusion. I can assure you of our full support and cooperation.
 

Mr. President,

Remembering the horrendous terrorist attack of Sep 11, I wish to begin by expressing solidarity and extending our deepest condolences to the United States of America and especially to the people of  New York.
 

Mr. President,

At the outset let me express my Government's firm support for the CTBT and our hope that the conditions necessary for entry into force will soon be attained. Our expectations are that this Conference will succeed in advancing this objective according to Article XIV of the Treaty.

I would like to express our full support for the text of the Draft Final Declaration CTBT-Art.XIV/ 2001 / WP.1. In this regard I wish to commend the efforts and dedication of Ambassador PELLICER SILVA of Mexico and the Secretariat in the preparations for this Conference.

Israel's decision to sign the CTBT reflects my Government's long standing policy of supporting international non-proliferation efforts with due consideration to the specific characteristics of the Middle East and our national security needs.

Since the establishment of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBT Organization, Israel has invested great efforts and actively participated in the development of the CTBT verification regime.

One of the two IMS auxiliary seismic stations in Israel, is already operational. The second station is under construction and is expected to be operational in the middle of next year.

Global communication infrastructure elements have been installed at the Israeli NDC for communication with the IDC, as required by the Treaty.

In addition, we are in the process of concluding a Facility Agreement with the Preparatory Commission.
Furthermore, we support efforts aimed at advancing regional seismological cooperation to strengthen the CTBT verification regime. To this end -- and also as a confidence-building measure-- a successful international calibration experiment was conducted at the Dead Sea. We propose to continue such collaborative calibration experiments to broaden confidence in the CTBT in our region.
 

Mr. President,

The Government of Israel is commited to the objectives of the CTBT.

In considering the ratification of the CTBT, Israel's decision process will be influenced by three main factors:

First, the level of readiness of the verification regime as attained by the PrepCom, its effectiveness and immunity to abuse, with particular emphasis on the OSI Operational Manual.

The second factor is Israel's sovereign equality status as reflected in actions taken by the PrepCom including those related to the geographical region of the Middle East and South Asia (MESA).

The third factor for consideration concerns the developments in our region, including the adherence to the CTBT by states in the Middle East.
 

It is our expectation that the essential elements of the CTBT verification regime, namely the International Monitoring System (IMS), the International Data Center (IDC) and the full capability to carry out On-Site Inspections (OSI), shall be completed and ready as soon as possible. In our view, that is a prerequisite for entry into force, as required by the first paragraph of Article IV of the Treaty.

We recognize the significant achievements made so far by the Preparatory Commission and the PTS under the leadership of its Executive Secretary, in building the verification regime capabilities, and deeply appreciate the serious efforts made by all participants to enhance this process.

Together with other delegations we are intensively engaged in the elaboration of the OSI Operational Manual, in order to complete this crucial element of the verification regime as early as possible.

I would like to express our hopes that all States Signatories will take the necessary steps to complete the development of all the components of the verification regime at the earliest time possible and provide the required resources.

Let me finish, Mr. President, by expressing our hope that this Conference will be brought to a successful conclusion furthering the objectives of the CTBT and facilitating its entry into force.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Sources

• http://www.un.org/webcast/ctbt/statements/israelE.htm